Stolze starts the story with a drive-along in which 69-year-old Baca points out the church where he was baptized, describes a childhood of flying model airplanes and reading comics, and discusses how he was nearly given up for adoption before his grandmother stepped in.

“Kindness is actually the greatest strength on Earth,” Baca says, sounding more like a social worker than the sheriff.

Defying the "lawman stereotype," Baca speaks frankly about politics, personal philosopy in running a $2.2 billion department of 9,000 deputies and 9,000 civilian employees who are responsible for thousands of square miles across 44 cities, L.A. County Metro buses and trains, and the jails.